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Wretch
While many Gears consider the Locust Drone to be the "lowest" form of Locust, this isn't entirely accurate; the Wretch is, as its name implies, the weakest and lowest form of Locust encountered. Simpering and pitiful, they are nearly mindless creatures that are nonetheless dangerous in combat situations due to their savagery and fury. They rush into combat at the urging of more powerful Locust, blindly plunging into battle and utterly heedless of any danger. While they are profoundly stupid, and largely ineffective combatants, they can nonetheless be extremely effective against unprepared Stranded and Gears, especially in large groups. Wretches often act as guard dogs and bloodhounds for the Locust Horde; in combat situations, packs of Wretches are sent into areas where enemies are believed to be, and the Wretches alert other Locust in the area with their piercing screams. Basic Information Wretches are arguably the weakest sentient members of the Locust Horde; they have relatively little health, but come in large numbers, generally acting as cannon fodder and attempting to overwhelm foes with sheer numbers and rage. Like Boomers, Wretches will gleefully rush into the most dangerous combat situations without a second thought, and often without taking cover (a few seem to possess the glimmer of initiative to notice that rushing headlong on a Lancer-armed Gear isn't exactly the best course of action). Agile and fast-moving, Wretches can use their claws to cling on surfaces such as ceilings and walls, and use this to attack unexpectedly; they love to attack from an ambush position if possible. When they sense prey, Wretches emit a horrid, piercing, high-decibel shriek that is capable of stunning nearby humanoids, shattering glass, and most importantly, alerting other Wretches in their packs and other Locust in the area that they've found their prey. As such, it's an extremely common lead-off attack and the only resistance against it is to keep your distance. Once in close, Wretches use their claws and teeth to down their prey. A Wretch is capable of killing an unprepared Gear quite quickly if they can land a few swipes. Relatively weak, Wretches are vulnerable to small-arms fire. While powerful ordnance, such as the Torque Bow and Boomshot can work against them, it is generally considered overkill, and thus ill advised. The Lancer Assault Rifle and Hammerburst (or Hammerburst II) are considered solid choices for dealing with Wretches, whilst the Gnasher Shotgun, Boltok Pistol, Gorgon Pistol, and Snub Pistol are considered ideal. While the Longshot is generally considered to be wastefull, it's quite good for eliminating single Wretches at extreme range, and a shot anywhere on a Wretch's body will be instantly fatal, Perfect Reload or not. Planted Bolo Grenades can be used to deal with entire packs of Wretches, but care must be taken to get clear of the site before detonation. Melee attacks also work quite well, often dropping Wretches in 1-2 attacks. If at point-blank range, the Lancer's Chainsaw Bayonet is also a good deterrent for single Wretches that manage to get close. Regardless of methodology, Wretches are best dealt with at medium-range. They are quite lethal if they are allowed to get close - especially on Hardcore and Insane - and, thankfully, their ultra-low health tends to make them vulnerable to most conventional weaponary. In close-quarters-combat, Wretches use a lot of leaping and clawing attacks, making them enfuriatingly hard to target; in many cases, the best course of action for dealing with a Wretch that gets too close is to Roadie Run away or melee it. Common Wretch The common Wretch, used by the Locust Horde as hunter and watchdog units, and quite capable of climbing most surfaces, and are an enfuriatingly common foe in Gears of War, especially so when in extremely cramped conditions. In Gears of War 2, they are less common - Operation Hollow Storm shows us that the Locust are on the defensive, and thus unable to make use of Wretches as hunter/scout units, but they do still appear in several locations, still a nuisance and threat. Wretches have an infuriating tendency to be encountered in large groups in cramped conditions, making their attacks all the more dangerous. Because of this, the Gnasher Shotgun and various Pistols are the weapons of choice for dealing with Wretches in close combat, though both Assault Rifles offer a solid alternative. Melee attacks are quite viable, and in an emergency, the Lancer's Chainsaw Bayonet can be used to finish off a Wretch in close-combat. Appearances The Wretches are first introduced in the Hammer chapter of Act 1. They are the first to ambush Delta Squad as JACK is opening a door. They are seen in the rest of Act 1, Acts 2 and 4, and the Special Delivery chapter of Act 5; however, they do not appear in Acts 3 or the rest of Act 5, making way for their Lambent counterparts. They have various appearances in Gears of War 2. Lambent Wretches Lambent Wretches are a variant of the standard Wretch that have been exposed to Imulsion for an extended period of time. Lambent Wretches are smarter, stronger, and explode when killed. Trivia * Many of the Stranded at the Lethia Imulsion Factory were killed (and eaten) by Wretches. * Wretches *can* disable the lasers on Security during Horde - This is ironic because Wretches lack any real reasoning ability and show virtually no subtlety or finesse when facing enemy soldiers. * Headshoting a wretch does not remove its head. Glitches * Sometimes a Wretch that was climbing on a ceiling may jump off the ceiling but still look like they are attached to it. These Wretch have been dubbed "Floating Wretches" because they hover above the ground as if they were climbing a really low ceiling. *Sometimes in Gears of War if you shoot a Wretch's arm and legs, but not its head, you can see it's heart beating. *When in Gears of War, the chainsawing animation looks as though you are doing it on a Drone, and so it starts above the Wretch, blood spraying, then you actually cut the Wretch. Category:Locust Horde Category:Lambent Locust